Itâ€™s always a good time in Bangalore

Says the Pakistani band Strings as they return to the city after a long hiatus

We’ve loved them and we’ve missed them, but all said and done, we know they cannot be replaced. With their concert — a part of the Seagram’s 100 Pipers IndiaMusic Week II — around the corner, it makes us scream for joy to think that they’ll be opening the festival with Parikrama & Friends in Bangalore. Excerpts from the interview with Faisal Kapadia...
So, what brings Strings to India this time?
Well, as you already know, we’re one of the opening acts at India Music Week II and a lot of bands are being represented from all across the world this time. We’ve always had one of largest fan followings in the country and so, when invited, we decided to come — that simple.

Any new projects in India that we should know about?
Lots actually! We are recording a song with Indian Ocean called Humse Bada Nahin Dekha — a song that speaks about the relationship between Pakistan and India. It’s an energetic song and we are planning to release the video in December. We are also working on a song for the sequel to Shootout at Lokhandwala and we’re pretty excited about that too. And there are a lot of gigs happening — Goa, Bangalore, Mumbai... all over.

Your unique style of music has always been your USP, where do you draw your inspiration from?
To be very honest, it’s now been 23 years to the band. And we’ve seen a lot of different shades of life. Music is a passion, music is a profession, music is a hobby, music is a way of life. It’s one of the most important elements of our life. We seek inspiration from everything around us. In the past two to three years, we started making music by being inspired by what we see around us — the political scenario or anything and mashallah, it’s been great so far!

Is there someone from among your Indian contemporaries you’d wish to work with?
Loads of them, really. We’ve worked with Hariharan, Euphoria and now Indian Ocean. I remember, our first collaboration was with Sagarika. However, if I had the choice of working with someone, it would definitely be Lata Mangeshkar — it would be an honour working with her.

You’ve performed in Bangalore before, what do you think of the audience?
It’s always fun playing in Bangalore because Bangaloreans really enjoy our kind of music. It’s always a good time in Bangalore.

Finally, with bands sprouting all over the subcontinent, what is your advice to all new musicians out there?
Mostly, believe in yourselves because passion and confidence go hand in hand. But in today’s world, one needs to be smart too, so most importantly, focus on your education. It should never be neglected using music as an excuse.